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The unused rail line between Needham and Medfield offers a wonderful opportunity for a rail trail conversion. This rail corridor has few road intersections and runs along the Needham Town Forest, then through miles of woods in Dover away from residences and along ponds and conservation land.

On October 25th, Newton celebrated the groundbreaking of the Upper Falls Greenway, the first section of the Bay Colony Rail Trail to become a reality. We are excited to share this local Newton TV news story from the event:

The infographic below represents the approach BCRT is proposing in Needham, where the project continues to gain momentum, leading up to the Town Meeting on Nov. 4th, where we hope to win approval for leasing the right of way from the MBTA.

On March 4, about 50 Needham residents participating in an open forum hosted by the Needham Parks and Recreation Department expressed general support for the Bay Colony Rail Trail, running from Needham Junction to the Charles River at Red Wing Bay. A series of small discussion groups provided an opportunity to gather suggestions and concerns on a wide range of issues including trail access and parking, abutters' privacy, safety and maintenance, and trail amenities. A full write-up from the meeting is available here.

We have kicked off the CPC-funded study, with the engineering firm Fay, Spofford and Thorndike (FST). We're very excited about the effort - these folks are pros, and have done many projects like this for other local communities, from which we can learn useful lessons.

Upcoming Meetings

Regular BCRT Needham meetings will be on the following dates, all in the same room at the PSAB on Dedham Ave. Though focused on the Needham of the trail, all are welcome to attend.

On Tuesday night in Needham, Town Meeting members approved the request for $35K in funding for a Conceptual Planning and Design Study. In this study, we'll engage an engineering firm with experience in rail trail issues to provide insight into things on the southern Needham corridor such as parking, trail access and the state of the bridge over the Charles between Needham and Dover.

This information will be invaluable when, hopefully next May, we go before Needham town meeting again to request the town lease the right of way from the MBTA, and take the next steps in implementing the rail trail.

The town of Needham continues to move forward with its consideration of the BCRT effort. The next step in the process will take place at the town meeting on Monday, October 29th, when there will be a vote on an engineering feasibility study, which would be funded by Needham’s Community Preservation Committee.

Note: Due to Hurricane Sandy, the Special Town meeting has been postponed until November 13th. Still time to contact your Needham town meeting members!

The Board of Selectmen tonight voted unanimously in favor of funding the study. The feasibility study would be focused only on this Needham Junction to Charles River section of abandoned railway, and the project managed by BCRTA with oversight from town officials.

Over the last few months, we've made more great progress toward building the Bay Colony Rail Trail. Thanks to your sustained commitment, here's what we've achieved recently:

Funding for Engineering Study

In August, the Needham town officials responsible for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds considered an application from the Bay Colony Rail Trail (BCRT) to fund a "conceptual planning and design study" of the Needham portion of the trail. Approval for the application, which won the unanimous endorsement of the Needham Board of Selectman, will be voted on at the special Town Meeting late this month.

The engineering study will consider parking, access, maintenance, bridge repairs and other issues that we'll need to address in order to move forward. This engineering project follows the MBTA's approval of a 99-year lease of the abandoned railroad right-of-way to BCRT for use as a rail trail. Now each town along the route, including Needham, Dover and Medfield, must decide whether to accept the lease.

To learn more about the CPA funding, and to show support for application, please consider attending an open forum at 7:30 pm on October 10th at the Public Services Administration Building on Dedham Ave.